How to Travel Without Ruining Everything

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Vacation is fun, everybody knows that. Everybody also knows about the “vacation creep” that often comes after days and days of drinking in the sun, carbs, sugar and highly irregular sleep. Symptoms include (but are not limited to) bloating, puffiness, fatigue, digestive distress, sickness, breakouts (and breakups), mood swings, angry outbursts, and general feelings of insanity.

“YOLO” culture encourages a complete disintegration of our usual boundaries in favor of fun, fomo, and the idea that more is always better. Where’s the self-respect in crumbling under the pressure of another Cronut when you already feel absolutely ILL? This is not to say we shouldn’t treat ourselves, try new things, and experience joy—life is about being flexible and not taking anything too seriously. However, the problem occurs when we take it too far.

I like to call this phenomenon the “fuck it” mentality. The mentality sinks is the second we tell ourselves, “I already did x today, why not do y?”, or “today is already a failure, so I give myself permission to double down and really fuck things up”. This black-and-white thinking is dangerous because rather than allowing for moderation, it uses shame to make us spiral and self-destruct. The “fuck it” mentality is why most people struggle with intuitive eating, why “everything in moderation” usually fails, and why we can’t have nice things.

There is a fine line between joy and ruining everything. Unfortunately, many of us couldn’t find this line even if it stalked us like Martha in Baby Reindeer. BALANCE, forever allusive, is worth striving for if only because in the contrast, there’s hope that we may momentarily feel better. It allows us to enjoy the good stuff more. It’s non-negotiable for me to unapologetically do what works for me. For more on travel boundaries, including not caring what anyone else things about your dinner, hop on over to the Healthy(ish) NYC Guide.

Below, find my tips for keeping it all together on-the-go without sacrificing a grand time. These hacks help keep me in line, staving off any serious consequences or grave illness. Take them with you on your next trip and thank me later.

1. Move daily

Super simple. After a meal, walk, even if it’s just 10 minutes. I love to sweat because it keeps me sane and opens up detox pathways, but even if you don’t schedule a workout, aim for 10,000 steps. It’s about daily practice, not perfection. Notice how you feel on days you don’t move versus when you do. Daily movement stabilizes blood sugar, promotes mental health, flushes toxins, and is a way to practice self-care during stressful times.

You will enjoy special meals and treats more, and you will be more inclined to stop when you’re full and practice moderation, when you feel like you’re doing something positive as well. Exercise makes us feel good in our body, so naturally we are less inclined to make dietary choices that would sabotage that. It’s also much easier to return to our normal routines when we haven’t let it all go on vacation.

Ways to Move While Traveling:

• On layovers, literally just walk up and down the concourse in the airport, end to end, for as long as you can

• Walk everywhere

• Find time to take a long walk or go on a run to get the lay of the land where you are. I always like to be oriented where I am, and getting outside also helps you to ground and offset jetlag.

• Do a Melissa Wood workout in your room, even if it’s just 15 minutes

• Schedule ACTIVE activities, like hiking, snorkeling, shopping, touring a site or museum, or other form of non-sedentary entertainment or exploring.

• Hit hotel gym

• Try a local workout, or search Google/Yelp for “infrared sauna” to get a good sweat in